Ironing machine



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W. MYERS IRONING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 9, 1952 INVEUH AWE 7, mm, W. MYER$ 1 5 IRONWING MACHINE Filed Feb. 9, 19:52 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 .H] and over roller II.

Patented Apr. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT oi rim.

IRONING MACHINE Wayne Myers, Benton Harbor, Mich.

Application February 9, 1932, Serial No. 591,765

3 Claims.

My invention relates to the type of ironing machines commonly known as fiat work ironers which are used for ironing such laundered articles as bed sheets, table cloths and the like.

An object of my invention is to create a ma chine that will be much less expensive to construct, less expensive to transport and less expensive to maintain than machines of other design having a like capacity.

Another object of the invention is the provision of improved means for holding the work against the ironing cylinder and for transporting the work through the machine.

These objects I attain by the use of the new and novel mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of my machine with part of side frame broken away to show gears. Fig. 2 is a plan View. Fig. 3 is a section on the line AA of Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing a housing around the end of a drive roller, 6. Fig. 5 is a section on the line VV of Figure 2.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts in both views.

I is a side frame. 2 is a cylinder which is journaled on trunnions 3 and 3a. Trunnion 3 is provided with a steam joint 4 which is fitted with a supply pipe 4a, leading to a suitable steam supply and with a siphon pipe 4b which leads to a point inside the cylinder near the lower portion of the arc, and a drain pipe to leading to a steam trap in the usual manner. 5 is a conveyor belt of wire cloth which is wrapped around the cylinder 2 and rollers 6, l, 8, 9 and The provision of this fine mesh wire cloth results in a machine of superior operation, producing work of superior quality. This results from the fact that in the use of a machine of this character, in which the cylinders are usually of sufiicient length to take 'a full sized bed sheet lengthwise of the sheet,

a miscellaneous assortment of pieces are frequently passed through the ironer. In other words, the material passing through does not always extend the full length of the cylinder so that during a part of the ironing operation there are two and sometimes three and four operators spaced along the feeding side of the machine, each passing small articles into the cylinder. As a result, one section of the cylinder may be receiving thin light articles, such as handkerchiefs, whereas another section of the machine may be receiving heavy wet articles such as towels, small blankets and the like. In view of the fact that none of this material is dry, being passed into the ironer directly from the washing process, there is a wide difference in the moisture content of the articles. The 5 belt, therefore, stretches dilferently across its width so that there may be a sag or loose part in the center due to excessive moisture at this point. In this loose area the work will not be pressed against the cylinder with the same force as in other parts of the belt, thus resulting in a lack of uniformity in the type of work performed by the machine. However, the applicant has found that by the use of a woven wire conveyer, instead of the usual canvas conveyer, this difficulty is entirely eliminated since the wire will stretch uniformly throughout its width regardless of the amount of localized moisture, the moisture furthermore being transmitted through the conveyer and out of the ironing zone as soon as it is converted into steam. Another new result accomplished by the use of the woven wire conveyer is the longer life of the conveyer and ironing element.

Rollers 6, l, 8, 9, and ii arejournaled in bearings l2, l3, M, i5, and Hi which are carried on the side frames. Roller it is journaled in the side frame.

Bearings l2, l3, M and it are movable in the side frames. Bearings M and it are adjusted by means of the adjusting screws l8 and i9. Bearing i3 is held in position by spring ll. Bearing l2 floats in its guides adjusting itself to any ordinary variation in thickness of material being ironed.

Gear Zll is attached to the trunnion 3a and has a pitch diameter equal to the diameter of the cylinder. Gear 2i) is driven by pinion 2i which is secured to shaft 22. Roller 6, which I have called a suction roller because of the fact that air is drawn into the same, and V-belt sheave 23 are also secured to shaft 22.

24 is an electric motor and 25 is a reduction gear which drives shaft 26. The V-belt sheave 21- is secured to shaft 26. 2a is a V-belt which 45 drives the machine.

29 is a series of feeding tapes which serve to deliver the work to the cylinder. These feeding tapes pass around the roller 39 and the rod 3|. Roller 30 is secured to a shaft 32 which is journaled in bearings 33 which are adjustable by means of adjusting screw it in the side frames. Rod 3! is secured in the side frames.

A sprocket 35 is secured to the shaft 32 and another sprocket 36 of the same pitch is secured to the shaft 22. A chain 31, corresponding to the pitch of said sprockets 35 and 36 is passed around them and connected in the usual manner.

A suction box 43 extends along the roller 6 and houses the end of the hollow drive roller 6, said end being perforated by a plurality of openings 44a. The pipe 4| connects said housing to the exhaust fan. 42. Roller 6 is further perforated by a plurality of openings 44.

45 shows a series of guide fingers which separate the feed ribbon and. aid in the delivery of the work to the cylinder. Said guide fingers are carried on the rod 3i.

46 is the delivery table to which the work is delivered by the conveyor 5.

Pinion 2| has a pitch diameter somewhat larger than the diameter of the suction roller 6, which results in driving the cylinder 2 a little faster than the conveyor 5.

The sprockets 35 and 36 are proportioned to drive the feeding tapes 29 at a speed slightly slower than that of the belt 5, to help remove Wrinkles before coming in contact with cylinder 2.

The mode of operation is as follows: The motor 24 is started. The cylinder 2, the conveyor 5 and the feeding tapes 29 move in. the direction indicated by the arrows on Fig. l. The various rollers are adjusted to give the proper tension to the conveyor.

The exhaust fan 42 is started and a current of air moves through the perforations in suction roller 6 into suction box 43. The air current proceeds through the piping system to the exhaust fan 42 and from thence to the outer air.

Flat laundered material which has been conditioned for ironing is spread on the feeding tapes. The material is delivered over the fingers 45 onto the conveyor 5 just before it contacts with the cylinder 2. From this point the material is held in close contact with the hot surface of the cylinder. As the damp material is brought into contact with the heated surface of the cylinder, most of the moisture is quickly evaporated and the resulting vapor readily passes through the interstices of the wire screen cloth. Ironing is accomplished by the difference in speed between the cylinder and the conveyor.

When the material reaches the roller 6, the suction, created by the movement of air through the holes 44, and thence to the fan 42, holds the material to the conveyor so that it is pulled away from the surface of the cylinder and carried over the top of said roller. From this point it is carried by the conveyor to the table 46.

I anticipate many possible modifications of the form shown, within the scope of my invention which I conceive to be the system of holding the material to be ironed against the surface of a heated chamber by means of a metal conveyor of a flexible and porous construction and preferably, removing said material from the surface of said chamber by suction thru said conveyor.

Having described my invention, I claim-- l. An ironing machine, comprising the combination of a cylinder; means for heating the surface of said cylinder; a conveyor of foraminous material passed around a portion of the circumference of said cylinder; means for feeding material between the surface of said cylinder and said conveyor; means for imparting motion to said conveyor and to said cylinder; means for removing said material from the surface of said cylinder by suction thru said conveyor.

2. An ironing machine, comprising in combination with a heating cylinder; a conveyor of foraminous material passed around a portion of the surface of said cylinder; means for feeding material between said conveyor and the surface of said cylinder; means for imparting motion to said conveyor and to said cylinder; and a suction roll for removing said material from the surface of said cylinder positioned to draw the material away from the cylinder by pneumatic action through the conveyor.

3. An ironing machine comprising in combination a heated rotated ironing cylinder, a conveyer of foraminous material passed around a portion of said cylinder for pressing the material to be ironed against the surface of the cylinder, and means for removing said material from the surface of the cylinder by suction through the conveyer.

WAYNE MYERS. 

